Special Topics
:
Ethics
Waiting For Trial Results Sometimes UnethicalWaiting for the results of randomised trials of public health interventions can cost hundreds of lives, especially in poor countries. Researchers in this week’s BMJ argue that, if the science is good, we should act before the trials are done.

[ Visit Website ]
Special Topics
:
Ethics
Physicians More Likely To Disclose Medical Errors That Would Be Apparent To The PatientWhile physicians in the United States and Canada generally support disclosing medical errors to patients, they vary widely in when and how they would tell patients an error had occurred, according to two articles in the August 14/28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Research has revealed that most patients want detailed information following a medical error, including an explicit statement that an error has occurred, an apology, information about why the error happened and an explanation of what will be done to prevent future errors. However, less than half of harmful errors may be disclosed to patients, according to background information in the articles. This may diminish trust in physicians and may also increase the risk that patients will file malpractice lawsuits. Aug 15, 2006 - 1:26:00 PM

[ Visit Website ]
Special Topics
:
Ethics
Intellectual property law and the protection of traditional knowledgeGrowing biopiracy concerns have fueled urgent calls for a new system of legal protection for traditional knowledge. Detractors of the current patent systems say that the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples and local communities does not readily fit into the existing rules of the industrialized world and that these rules basically promote the interests of the industrialized world. However, Charles McManis, J.D., IP and technology law expert and the Thomas and Karole Green Professor of Law at Washington University in St. Louis, argues that "at least in the short run, existing intellectual property regimes offer the most realistic avenue for securing effective legal protection for traditional knowledge holders."Feb 19, 2006 - 5:25:00 PM

[ Visit Website ]
Special Topics
:
Ethics
Conscientious objection in medicine should not be toleratedA doctor's conscience should not be allowed to interfere with medical care, argues an ethics expert in this week's BMJ. A doctors' conscience has little place in the delivery of modern medical care, writes Julian Savulescu at the University of Oxford. If people are not prepared to offer legally permitted, efficient, and beneficial care to a patient because it conflicts with their values, they should not be doctors. Feb 5, 2006 - 12:39:00 AM

[ Visit Website ]
Special Topics
:
Ethics
Facial Transplants - Are they justified? With news of the world’s first facial transplant hitting the headlines, experts in this week’s BMJ debate whether the benefit of this procedure to someone with severe facial deformity outweighs the risk of long term suppression of the immune system. One of the main areas of concern has been the risk to patients from the side effects of long term immunosuppression, say the authors. However, a patient having a facial transplant would probably require a similar level of immunosuppression to patient having a kidney transplant. Given that one of the main justifications for kidney transplantation is improvement in quality of life, the same argument should apply to facial transplant, they write. Dec 12, 2005 - 4:08:00 PM

[ Visit Website ]
Special Topics
:
Ethics
God's bioethics: Bioethics and Public PolicyThe Women's Bioethics Project, a non-partisan, public policy think tank, announced the release of a report detailing a concerted effort by conservative groups to dominate so-called "bioethical issues" surrounding emerging technologies. The report, titled "Bioethics and Public Policy: Conservative Dominance in the Current Landscape," analyzes the involvement of both progressive and conservative bioethics centers, including traditional think tanks such as the American Enterprise Institute, as well as religious groups such as James Dobson's Focus on the Family.

Nov 12, 2005 - 8:46:00 PM

[ Visit Website ]
Special Topics
:
Ethics
It is unethical for doctors to withhold information about expensive, unfunded drugs?It is unethical and paternalistic for doctors to withhold information from patients about new drugs that are not yet publicly funded, say researchers in this week’s BMJ. New drugs may be more effective than existing treatments, but many are very expensive and may not be available through publicly funded health schemes. This raises several ethical dilemmas for doctors. Is it reasonable to ask a patient to finance the full cost of their treatment when it is not provided by government? Would it be unethical to raise the option of treatment with an unsubsidised drug?Nov 10, 2005 - 6:50:00 PM

[ Visit Website ]
Special Topics
:
Ethics
Catch Them Young! New Mantra of Drug MakersThird-year medical students receive on average one gift or attend one activity sponsored by a pharmaceutical company per week, and most believe that sponsored educational events are likely to be biased, according to an article in the September 7 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on medical education.Sep 9, 2005 - 3:41:00 PM

[ Visit Website ]
Special Topics
:
Ethics
Phase I cancer findings under-reported in JournalsPhase I cancer studies, trials that are conducted to determine the safety and maximum dose of a new agent, are under-reported in peer-reviewed journals - a trend that could ultimately delay scientific progress and negatively affect patient care, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in a new study out today (Mon., Aug, 22) online in Cancer.Aug 22, 2005 - 9:44:00 PM